The Daily Signal

Growing up in North Korea, Hyun-Seung Lee says, he had no real understanding of the concept of freedom or human rights. The communist regime monitors citizens so closely, he couldn't speak freely even in his own home, says Lee, who goes by the nickname Arthur.“I believe that in my home, there [were] bugs or listening devices, so honestly, when we were in North Korea among our family, we cannot share honest opinion[s],” Lee says. When he was 29, Lee escaped North Korea with some of his family and eventually made his way to America. Today, he is director of the D.C. office of the Korean Conservative Political Action Conference. Lee joins “The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about how his childhood in North Korea informs what he wants Americans to know about life under a totalitarian regime. We also cover these stories: Inflation in the U.S. soars to a 40-year high.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues the Biden administration over "gender-affirming" care. The Biden administration announces that federal guidelines mandating mask use on planes, trains, and buses will be extended through April 18. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, America was ranked 20th in The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom. This year, America’s rating in the index fell five places and now stands at No. 25, behind nations such as Ireland, Canada, and Chile.“We've been on about a decadelong decline in our economic freedom,” Terry Miller, a visiting fellow for economic freedom at The Heritage Foundation, says. (The Daily Signal is Heritage's multimedia news organization.)Miller joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the recently released 2022 Index of Economic Freedom, and why America is falling further behind. We also cover these stories: Congress releases a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the government.    The Kremlin accuses the United States of declaring economic war on Russia.  The federal government gets involved in cryptocurrency. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum are popping up everywhere. But many Americans may not completely understand what they are.As governments around the globe struggle to legislate on this new digital money, it can be useful to know exactly what’s going on.Heritage Foundation research fellow Peter St. Onge, an economist, says he sees incredible possibilities for a future with various forms of cryptocurrency."You could replace the entire insurance industry with a couple of lines of code, and then you could run those on something like ethereum, so the concept of cryptocurrency is astoundingly powerful," St. Onge says. "The main application most people are aware of is bitcoin, but there are many, many applications. We've only just begun with it."Unfortunately, governments seem intent on limiting cryptocurrencies."There are a number of government agencies that have been trying to either harness bitcoin or to destroy it intentionally and they haven't really resolved who's the top dog on that hill," St. Onge says. "It has created an enormous amount of regulatory risk within crypto."St. Onge joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss what the future holds for cryptocurrencies and what you need to know.We also cover these stories: President Joe Biden announces a ban on energy imports from Russia. The Florida Senate passes the Parental Rights in Education bill amid distortions from the left. U.S. gas prices reach a historic high.  Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent elections, conservatives have seen large gains with Latino voters. But what is causing this increase in conservative Latino engagement? FreedomWorks vice president of policy Cesar Ybarra joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to dive into the reasons."The Democrats label [Donald] Trump as the most racist, anti-Hispanic president in America in history, and what happened?" says Ybarra. "He increased his share of the Latino vote in those four years by nearly 10 points."Issues that drive Hispanic voters, Ybarra says, include supporting law enforcement, increasing parental oversight of schools, and lowering prices. Listen to the full interview on the podcast, or read a lightly edited transcript below:We also cover these stories: Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Latvia Monday, affirming the United States’ support for the Baltic countries. Florida’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, announces the Sunshine State won’t be advising healthy kids get COVID-19 vaccines. Texas is taking steps to ensure cities that defund the police face penalties. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Government mandates and authoritarian COVID-19 rules have crushed small businesses in America. In the nation’s capital alone, hundreds of restaurants are now closed. Others are struggling to make ends meet.Despite all the happy talk from President Joe Biden in last week's State of the Union address, some businesses will never recover. For every Democrat politician who is suddenly abandoning COVID mandates, there are scores of shattered businesses left in their wake.For nearly two years, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council have invoked emergency powers—imposing mask mandates for schools and businesses and requiring restaurants to check customers’ vaccine status.A few courageous Washington, D.C., business owners spoke at The Heritage Foundation last week about the city's restrictive COVID rules. They've felt the effects firsthand.One of them is Eric Flannery, a Navy veteran and co-owner of The Big Board on H Street NE in Washington, D.C. Flannery and his lawyer, Robert Alt, president and CEO of The Buckeye Institute, joined "The Daily Signal Podcast" to explain why they're fighting for The Big Board's survival in a city where political leaders have amassed unprecedented power. And follow the links below if you are interested in learning more about organizations helping the people of Ukraine: World Vision's Ukraine Fund Operation Blessing Samaritan's Purse International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For nearly a month a convoy of truckers in Canada captivated the nation by raucous but largely peaceful protesting with parked trucks in downtown Ottawa. To the surprise of the government, public opinion was mixed over the convoy's appearance. The truckers opposed the severe regime of Covid restrictions and mandates that the Canadian federal government had imposed on the population. The long-distance truckers stridently rejected the vaccination requirement, among other burdens placed on their daily work. After weeks spent parked in Ottawa, adjacent to the Canadian Parliament, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, imposed the Emergencies Act to bring the Freedom Convoy to an end. In this manner, Trudeau used a law meant for true situations of national security and applied it expansively and without factual justification to a civil protest. Banks froze the accounts of anyone suspected of supporting the protests. The truckers were dispersed in short order. In acting outside the bounds of law, the Canadian government may have created a new moment in Canadian politics. In opposing one of the strictest Covid regimes in western democracies, the Freedom Convoy seems to have sparked an end to much of Canada's worst Covid policies.But what is the real legacy of the Freedom Convoy? Joanna Baron, a lawyer in Canada and Executive Director of the the Canadian Constitution Foundation, is on the legal front lines in Canada and joins us to discuss this question. She observes that "we're going to see an injection of populism into Canadian politics going forward." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moscow—and much of the rest of the world—expected Ukraine to fall quickly after Russia invaded it. Why hasn't it?How are the Ukrainian people effectively fighting the Russians, and what could be next? Will Russia invade the Baltic States next, as some have predicted? And are American sanctions enough to weaken Russia? The Heritage Foundation’s Luke Coffey joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to answer those questions and explain how likely a Ukrainian victory is. Coffey also explains why Ukraine has not yet been made a member of NATO. We also cover these stories:  The first wave of foreigners arrives to fight the Russians in Ukraine.  South Dakota passes legislation banning telemedicine abortions.  U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy demands data on COVID-19 "misinformation" from several major tech companies. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early treatment for COVID-19 was not prioritized. Why? Cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough says he believes health officials did not pursue early treatment options because they did not want to discourage Americans from being vaccinated. "There was a belief, and I think there's still a belief today among many stakeholders, is that the only way a vaccine is going to work is if every single person takes it. ... In order to do that, if we have suppression of early treatment and people think there's no other or option, they're going to be much more likely to take the vaccine," says McCullough. "I think, actually, a suppression of early treatment was by design a vaccine promotion strategy."In December, McCullough joined “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast to discuss failures to pursue early treatment options for COVID-19. Rogan was criticized for the interview with McCullough. Only a few weeks later, Dr. Robert Malone also joined Rogan’s show to discuss the pandemic. Afterward, a movement arose to deplatform Rogan. “Joe Rogan is in the thick of it now,” McCullough says. McCullough joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the failures in the fight against COVID-19, and the left’s reaction to his interview with Rogan. Also on today’s show, we speak with British conservative Nigel Farage. He explains how Russia’s war on Ukraine will influence the Western world.We also cover these stories: President Joe Biden expresses his support for Ukraine. The United Nations passes a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces new guidance concerning mask requirements for Florida workers. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did corporate media become so biased and corrupt, and why isn't it being held accountable? Corporate media exists “to support corrupt regimes,” Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of The Federalist, says.She is optimistic because “a lot of people have lost trust in corporate media in recent years, [and] that's a good thing," Hemingway says. "It's bad if people believe the propaganda.” Hemingway joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the state of the media today and to share her reaction to President Joe Biden's nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Also on today’s show, Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., explains what he saw in Ukraine a week before Russia invaded. We also cover President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The streets of Seattle are filled with drug needles, homeless tents, and violent political agitators. What used to be a city known for its Space Needle and Nirvana has now become one of a series of case studies for the consequences of leftist rule over America's cities.Jason Rantz, a Seattle-area radio host, has seen firsthand the horrific impact the radical left has had on his city."It looks like a hellscape at this point," Rantz says. "You have tent cities everywhere. You have used needles on the ground. You have human waste on the ground ... . The Pacific Northwest in general is known as being just beautiful. Really, supposedly, we respect nature. Not anymore, not with how bad it's gotten. You've got graffiti all over the place, which just doesn't feel good to live in that kind of area anymore."Rantz joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to share his experiences of living in Seattle.We also talk with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, about his concerns about Congress' select committee on the Jan. 6 riot and what it is doing. You can read a write-up of that conversation here.We also cover these stories: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally requests European Union membership for Ukraine. Former President Donald Trump answers the question of whether he would have behaved similarly to Zelenskyy were he in charge of Ukraine. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address is set for Tuesday night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices